Ancient Grain Sourdough Made with White Khorasan Flour

This White Khorasan Sourdough Bread is truly something special. Made with White Khorasan All-Purpose Flour, it bakes up light and soft while still delivering rich, full flavor.

Khorasan wheat is naturally easier to digest than many modern wheat varieties. When combined with the slow, natural fermentation of sourdough, the result is a deeply nourishing, flavorful bread that feels good to eat.

This recipe yields one loaf of full-flavored White Khorasan sourdough. If you'd like to bake two, the recipe doubles easily — simply divide the dough after bulk fermentation and shape as directed. One for your table, one to share.

As with all of our recipes, we include both weight and approximate volume measurements. For the most consistent results, we recommend baking by weight.

White Khorasan Sourdough

Build the Starter or Leaven (Night Before)

Build your starter overnight using:

• 15 g starter
• 55 g water
• 55 g flour

This will give you about 125 g of active starter. Use 100 g for this recipe and save the rest to feed for your next bake.

The starter should be bubbly, active, and near peak rise when you mix the dough.

Instructions

1. Mix the Dough

When the starter is at its peak, use a dough whisk to lightly mix the starter, water, and honey. Add the flour and mix just until there are no dry bits and the dough appears rough and shaggy.

Cover and let it rest for 30 to 40 minutes.

Why no salt yet?
This short rest helps hydrate the flour and supports better dough development. Salt can slow early gluten formation, so it is added in the next step.

2. Add the Salt

Once the dough has rested, wet your hands slightly and add the salt. Squeeze and squish the dough until the salt is fully incorporated and you can no longer feel individual salt granules.

The dough should be soft and somewhat sticky. At this point, add a bit more flour if too soft, or a bit more water if the dough is too stiff. *This is the last opportunity to add either flour or water.

Cover and rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Strengthen the Dough

Over the next 2 to 3 hours, strengthen the dough every 30 to 40 minutes.

You will do:

• 2 sets of slap and folds
• 2 sets of stretch and folds

Slap and Fold (First Two Sets)
Perform these at approximately:

• 30 minutes
• 60 minutes

To slap and fold:

• Using lightly damp hands, lift the dough from the bowl.
• Slap the dough down onto the counter. Literally hold it a foot or so off the counter and just throw it down.
• Pull one side up and fold it over itself.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat.
• Complete 4 rotations until you have gone a full 360 degrees.

The dough will become stronger and stiffer with each set.

Stretch and Fold (Final Two Sets)
Perform these at approximately:

• 90 minutes
• 120 minutes

To stretch and fold:

• Slide your hand under one side of the dough.
• Lift until the dough begins to resist.
• Drape it over itself.
• Rotate the bowl one quarter turn and repeat.
• Complete 4 stretches total.

These later folds are gentler and improve extensibility without tearing the dough.

Important:
Because Khorasan has a weaker gluten structure than strong modern bread flour, the more aggressive slap-and-fold method helps early on. For the final 2 sets, switch to gentle stretch and folds. Continuing slap and folds too long can weaken the dough rather than strengthen it.

4. Bulk Fermentation

Cover the dough and let it rest on the countertop until it is ready to shape. A clear bowl or container is helpful because it makes the rise easier to judge. Depending on your kitchen temperature and strength of your starter, this can take just a couple of hours or many hours.

Sourdough generally rises more predictably in a room around 70 to 75°F. Colder and it will take longer to rise, warmer and it may rise very quickly so watch it closely. Since time measurements here are arbitrary it is very important to pay less attention to time and more attention to learning what your dough should look and feel like.

Signs the dough is ready to shape:

• It has risen about 80%, not doubled
• The dough is slightly domed and smooth
• It does not stick to your fingers easily
• It feels puffy and jiggly
• It pulls away from the bowl easily
• It has bubbles throughout

Optional cold bulk fermentation: If you can't stick around and keep an eye on your dough (or you've prepared it at night, etc) place the dough in the fridge during bulk fermentation. This slows fermentation. When you are getting ready to shape the loaf, remove it from the fridge and allow it to warm back up to room temperature before shaping.

5. Divide the Dough if Doubling the Recipe

If you doubled the recipe, now is the time to split it. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half and continue shaping each portion separately.

Dividing now protects the gas pockets that will develop during the final proof.

6. Shape the Dough

Pre-Shape 

Pre-shaping the dough creates surface tension providing initial structure and shape. Then we allow the dough to rest to strengthen the gluten structure.

• Gently scoop the dough onto the counter. The dough will feel soft and pillowy.
• Using damp hands or a bowl scraper gently pull edges into the center.
• Flip seam side down.
• Shape it into a ball by cupping your damp hands and gently pulling it toward you while rotating. It doesn't need to be tight at this point. Just ball shaped.

Cover and let it rest 15-20 minutes.

Final Shape

Boule (round):

• Tighten the surface tension by again cupping your damp hands around the dough and gently pulling it toward you while continuously turning the dough in a circle.
• Once the loaf feels tight and smooth, flip it over and place it in a floured banneton or bowl, seem-side up.

Batard (oval):

• Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle. Fold the sides inward into thirds.
• Roll the dough from top to bottom. Keep it gentle, we want to keep as much air in the dough as possible.
• Flip it so the smooth side faces up.
• Create surface tension by cupping your damp hands around the dough and gently pulling it toward you while rotating. Shape it into an elongated oval shape rather than a round.
• Once the loaf feels tight and smooth, flip it over and place it seam-side up in a floured banneton or bowl.

Banneton tip:
Use rice flour to dust your banneton for the cleanest release. Any rice flour will work, but white rice flour or jasmine rice flour can help decorative scoring stand out more clearly.

7. Final Proof

Cover the dough so it does not dry out and let it rise 1 of 2 ways:

• 1-2 hours **May take longer depending on previous rise and room temperature.
  • Check the dough every 30 minutes or so using the poke test to prevent over-proofing. When it is getting close to passing the poke test, make sure to pre-heat your oven so that it is ready for your dough.

• Overnight in the fridge. Leaving the dough covered in the fridge will slow down the rise of the dough. This longer ferment of 8-24 hours will create great flavor.
  • Bring your dough back up to room temperature. Check the dough every 30 minutes or so using the poke test to prevent over-proofing. When it is getting close to passing the poke test, make sure to pre-heat your oven so that it is ready for your dough.

Poke Test: Poke the dough in multiple places - if the holes spring back quickly and completely, it's not ready. If the holes don't fill in at all, it's over-proofed. If the holes spring back slowly but not completely, your dough is good and ready!

If you are a seasoned sourdough baker and you know that your dough has previously risen enough, then the fridge alone is great. Proof it in the fridge for 8-24 hours to develop flavor and then take it straight out of the fridge to the pre-heated oven. Cold dough is easier to score and will give your loaf a better oven spring.

Baking Options

Dutch Oven or Clay Cloche

Best for steam and a crisp crust.

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Place your Dutch oven or cloche inside while pre-heating.
• Turn the dough out of the banneton onto parchment paper or a bread sling.
• Score the loaf with a bread lame or sharp knife.
• Transfer to the dutch oven or cloche and cover.
• Bake for 25 minutes covered.
• Remove the lid and bake an additional 6 to 7 minutes.

Bake until the loaf reaches 200°F internal temperature and is nicely browned.

Baking Stone or Baking Steel

Great for crust if you can generate steam.

• Preheat oven to 450°F
• Place your baking stone or steel inside while pre-heating and an empty pan on the oven rack below.
• Turn the dough out of the banneton onto parchment paper or a bread sling.
• Score the loaf with a bread lame or sharp knife.
• Place the dough on the hot stone or steel.
• Pour water into the empty pan below to create steam.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Rotate the loaf and bake another 6 to 7 minutes.

Finish when the loaf reaches 200°F internal temperature and is nicely browned.

Bread Pan

Best for a more sandwich-style loaf.

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Rotate the pan and bake another 7 to 10 minutes.

Finish when the loaf reaches 200°F internal temperature.

Cool before slicing:
It is tempting to cut into fresh sourdough right away, but resist it. The warmer the loaf is when sliced, the gummier the crumb will be. Let it cool for at least 1 hour, but ideally 2 to 3 hours.

Tips for the Best White Khorasan Sourdough

Expect a tighter crumb: Khorasan has a weaker gluten structure than strong bread flour, so you should not expect extremely large open holes. A beautiful rise and well-shaped loaf are still very achievable. Your crumb should still be light and soft with lots of little air pockets.

Honey affects texture and flavor: Honey adds wonderful flavor and contributes to a softer crumb with fewer large air pockets. Leave it out if you want a slightly stronger sourdough profile and more openness.

Warm kitchens help: Sourdough rises better and more consistently in a room around 70-75°F. Colder temperatures will mean a longer rise time while warmer temperatures can make your rise times a little unpredictable. Watch your dough closely in warmer environments.

Use weight for consistency: Flour measured by volume can vary significantly. Using a kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients will significantly improve consistency.

Sourdough Glossary

Starter: A fermented mixture of flour and water used to naturally raise bread.

Leaven (or levain): a small amount of your starter actively fed and intended to be used in a recipe.

Discard: Unused and/or non-active starter. Excess starter that can be discarded or used in a recipe for flavor but not intended as a leavening agent to raise bread.

Crumb: The interior structure and texture of the finished bread.

Bulk Fermentation: The main rise of your dough, officially starting as soon as your starter is added to the dough and lasting until the pre-shape step. It is named for when bakeries are mixing a "bulk” batch of bread and the dough is in one big unit prior to being divided into individual loaves.

Proof (proofing/proving): The final rise time after shaping but before baking.

Cold Ferment: Fermentation that occurs in a cold environment, usually a fridge for an extended period of time. The cold temperature significantly slows fermentation and allows for wonderful flavor development.

Poke Test: poke the dough in multiple places with your finger - if the holes spring back quickly and completely, it's not ready. If the holes don't fill in at all, it's over-proofed. If the holes spring back slowly but not completely, your dough is good and ready!

Oven Spring: The rapid rise your bread goes through in the first 10-15 minutes of baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't my loaf rise?

You can absolutely get a beautiful tall loaf with this flour. If it didn't work perfectly this time, try again! Khorasan has weaker gluten than modern flour so it won't rise as high as conventional sourdough, but that doesn't mean it has to be flat. If your loaf didn't turn out the way you hoped, here are a few things you can try.

1. Make sure your dough has proofed enough. Sourdough timelines are tricky because the strength of your starter and temperature of your environment can dramatically impact rise times. Use the poke test mentioned above to test if your dough has fully proofed.
2. Use a small banneton - we like 7” for this loaf size. With a high hydration loaf, the dough will spread so we recommend using a small banneton to contain the dough and send it upwards before it spreads outward.
3. Bake your loaf cold, straight from the fridge to minimize the dough spreading outward and to maximize oven spring. If you choose this route make sure that your dough is 80-90% proofed prior to putting it in the fridge for your cold ferment.
4. Add a little bit of flour to your recipe. This recipe is a good baseline and we get consistently good results with it, but hydration is tricky because the consistency of your starter, the humidity, elevation etc can all impact it and if the hydration is too high, your loaf will spread and not hold its shape well.
5. Still having a hard time? Come take a class with us! We'd love to meet you in person and help you trouble shoot your sourdough.

Experimentation is your best friend. It sounds tedious, but as you make loaf after loaf you will get a good feel for what dough consistency and proofing levels should be.

Should I bake my loaf warm or cold?

Cold dough is easier to handle and score. The contrast in temperature will give your dough a really good oven spring - it will rise quickly in the oven. This works very well if your dough has fully proofed.

Baking at room temperature is a good idea if your loaf needs some more proofing. Letting it sit on the counter while your oven pre-heats will allow the dough to rise a little more. This is a great way to make your sourdough if you are just starting out or are unsure if your dough has proofed enough. Pull your loaf out of the fridge and check it every 30 minutes or so using the poke test to prevent over-proofing.

Why is my crumb tighter than regular bread flour sourdough?

Khorasan flour has a weaker gluten structure than high-protein bread flour, so a somewhat tighter crumb is normal, but it should still be soft and airy. If your crumb is really tight and dense then you've likely under-proofed the dough or added too much flour.

Why is my loaf gummy?

A gummy texture comes from either:

1. Under-proofed dough. This is a dense dough accompanied by large holes toward the top (tunneling) and really dense at the bottom.
2. Over-proofed dough. This dough is gummy and has a tight crumb from collapse.
3. Cutting into the loaf while it is still hot.  While it is tempting to cut into a hot loaf of bread - don't do it with sourdough! It needs some time after baking to allow trapped steam to evaporate and to set into a light airy crumb. We recommend waiting 2-3 hours after baking before slicing your loaf of sourdough.

When checking for a complete proof, check for the following things:

• The dough is slightly domed and smooth
• It does not stick to your fingers easily
• It feels puffy and jiggly
• It pulls away from the bowl easily
• It has bubbles throughout
• It passes the poke test.

Do I need the honey?

No. It is optional, but we really love honey in our loaves. Honey creates a softer loaf and milder flavor. Leaving it out can produce a stronger sourdough flavor if that is your preference.